‘The game really wasn’t as close as the score indicates. The sellout crowd of 18,690 consistently targeted Buffalo goalie Patrick Lalime with boos after he allowed a couple of quick goals in the first period, but the blame should hardly be placed solely at Lalime’s door. The Sabres once again coughed up too many pucks, committing 19 turnovers compared to Minnesota’s seven. Buffalo also failed to take command against an opponent who lost 5-1 the previous night in Detroit.’

‘“I think I’m damn lucky,” Robitaille said. “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. My cord was so tight to the spinal canal that [the doctor] couldn’t make his fingers small enough to show how much working room he had. If that bone would have been shoved any harder against the cord … ”’

‘"My grandparents will be there, they were up in Vancouver, but mainly it will be people I haven’t seen at all," Miller said Friday. "It’ll be good to see them after the game. I spent so much time with everybody in Vancouver, normally I don’t get that much time to sit around and hang out during the season or around hockey. It’ll be good just to see everyone I don’t get to see for around nine months out of the year."’

‘Lalime felt the wrath of the Sabres’ fans after his sluggish start, as the hometown crowd mockingly cheered everytime Lalime made a save after allowing the two quick first-period goals. “It felt like I was on the road,” he said. “You just want to shake it off.”’

‘”A thousand chances aren’t going to win games,” said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. “We like the number of shots, but there are some situations where they have to turn them into goals. Our key players have to do a better job of turning those shots into goals.”‘